The present invention refers to an independent multi-purpose portable exercising device for exercising all muscle groups of the body, comprising two identical exterior tubes that revolve in relation to one another with resistance which can be adjusted through the central core, which core together with other attachments enters into their adjacent ends, while they revolve by the means of bearings, freely around the main shaft, which shaft has handles on its ends and other intervening attachments for attaching the adjustable elastic band, for various exercises with, or without it.
The present invention has as its primary purpose the provision of a handy, inexpensive, independent portable exercising device of small size and weight, for exercising all muscle groups of the body, in various positions such as lying down, seated, standing, even while in motion, utilizing various techniques and in combination with massaging, or for massaging only of all parts of the body.
The present invention refers to an independent multi-purpose portable exercising device for exercising all muscle groups of the body. It is well known that good health requires physical exercise and loss of excessive weight.
There are many different exercising devices which can be classified into various categories depending on the muscles they exercise and the way by which they accomplish it. In an exercising facility for example, there is a wide variety of devices and mechanisms, most of which are characterized by their large size, heavy weight, permanence of installation, complexity of construction and high cost. All of these, along with the difficulties of frequenting exercising facilities, (available time, scheduling, transportation, and costs), make such instruments and devices accessible only to very few people.
Permanently installed exercising devices are useful only at a specific location, which usually requires substantial space, while their capabilities are in most cases, limited. Resistance forces are usually provided by weight systems which are adjusted by adding or removing weights, as well as by systems with brakes or friction mechanisms which function in one direction only.
Portable exercising devices could be divided into two other groups: the dependent devices, which depend on some basis for support, such as floors, tables, door openings, etc. and the independent devices, which do not require any support base.
Dependent devices can be of solid construction, foldable and/or modular for transportation and storage. Even these devices are usually large and heavy, complex and costly, while they require a specific location for usage. In addition, most of them have very limited capabilities, such as exercises only for abdominal muscles, only for hands, only for wrists, only for thigh muscles and so on.
The independent portable devices are usually simpler, smaller, lighter and correspondingly inexpensive, such as rope systems, springs, coils, weight systems etc. Even those are specialized and have limited capabilities, such as exercises only for fingers, only for wrists, only for hands and so on.
Using weights creates many problems such as the necessity of different weights for different people and each exercise, while the variety of separate weights increases the cost. Such problems, along with transportation and storage complications, make such devices difficult to use, while at the same time, their use includes risks of injury and permanent damage to the body.
Specifically, most of the known exercisers for abdominal muscles, are portable dependent devices. Such devices are usually for assisting sit-ups with lever mechanisms and can be positioned underneath the body when in the supine position, supporting the head, the back even the legs One existing independent portable-exercising device for abdominal muscles is comprised of the main body in the form of an equal-sided triangle having indentations for handles, while at its base there fits an arm directed towards the top of the triangle, which arm has at its free end, a support pad that is perpendicularly attached to the arm, compressing springs which bring it back to its resting position and is used in a seated or standing position.
When the support pad is leaning against the abdominal muscles and the main body is pulled towards the abdomen, the pressure exerted by the_pull of the hands is diffused on the abdominal muscles through the relatively large surfaced support-pad, resulting in having to use a lot of pulling force in order to achieve just a little pressure per square centimeter, making thus the exercise tiresome and unpleasant.
At the level of the state of the art of the existing exercising devices, mainly for the wrist and hand, some are described in the following patent applications: EP 0401417 A1, EP0469363 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,324. In the related plans, it is evident that the handle-turning resistant forces mechanism is based on a clutching system where the friction discs are perpendicular to the device""s axis and their surfaces are relatively small.
This means that a great amount of compressing force needs to be exerted on the resistance-controlling components, resulting in their wearing out. In order for the handles to turn in relation to one another without forcing the various components which are in between the friction discs to turn with them, variously shaped components are required, such as hexagonal, semi-circular etc., making their construction even more complex.
In addition, due to the fact that the mechanisms for regulating resistance are adjacent to the turning handles, it is possible that they could become deregulated when in use, while the risk of unintended disassembly during the adjustment procedure, also exists.
Another disadvantage in some of these devices, is that the regulation of resistance is independent in each handle, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,324, meaning that sliding is achieved only on one side because of the great difficulty of achieving exactly the same regulation on both sides, which results in one-sided functioning, with more wear and tear.
One other drawback in some devices are the weights which are used, while in some others there exists the drawback of having their handles perpendicular to their axis, limiting thus the handgrip into only one position and at the same time limiting the field of exercising, while requiring in addition, different gripping rings on the handles for different hands.
As in the patent applications EP 0380292 A1, and WO 95/10333, beyond the complexity, the dependency and the accessories necessary, which make the use of the device difficult, the major drawback is that wrist movement is limited.
From the known devices for massage, the category of electric ones have the obvious drawbacks of manufacturing costs, maintenance and running costs, the electric tension on the devices, their dependency on electricity, as well as the direct exposure of the body to electromagnetic fields.
As for the category of non-electric devices, it includes various forms such as elastic spheres with a relief surface, either independent or attached to a shaft, pieces of short length and wavy surface, revolving around a shaft with one handle, etc.
The above have major shortcomings such as: in the case of independent spheres, the pressure carried through the sphere to a specific area of the body, originates from another surface touching the sphere, such as the palm of the hand. The motion of the sphere on the area of applying the massage, is made by the same surface which pushes it and is very unstable and limited, while the surface area which touches is very small and the difficulty of holding the sphere, is great.
In the case of the revolving spheres, or the small, wavy-surfaced pieces revolving around a shaft, this shaft rubs the surface of their orifice, resulting in an abnormal motion around the shaft, in wear and tear, in shedding the particles of wear and tear, as well as in a limited sweep area.
The present invention refers to an improved exercising device and has as its primary purpose the provision of a handy, inexpensive, independent portable exercising device of relatively small size and weight, for exercising all muscle groups of the body, with various techniques, in different positions and in combination with massaging, or only for massaging all parts of the body.
The invention is comprised of the main shaft of appropriate length, round which there attach two exterior tubes by the means of ball bearings fitted inside their remote ends, while the tubes are joined together at their adjacent ends through the central core which fits snugly into them.
The central core is comprised of the tubular shaft, the central sleeve, the connecting ring, the slip washers, the resistance sleeves and the pressure washers. On the tubular shaft, which is concentric with the central shaft without touching it, there is solidly attached at approximately its midway the central sleeve along with the connecting ring, which surrounds the central sleeve.
The slip washers, the resistance sleeves and the pressure washers are also positioned on the tubular shaft symmetrically to the central sleeve. The resistance sleeves are of tubular form and of relatively soft material which becomes distorted when pressure is exerted on it (elastic distortion).
The central core, along with the pressure tubes and the safety washers are enclosed by the exterior tubes, which rotate freely around the main shaft by the means of ball bearings, either as a single tube, or as independent tubes with adjustable resistance of their relative turning around the tubular shaft.
The resistance of the exterior tubes"" revolution is controlled through the pressure-adjusting handle, which revolves as a nut around the screw-threaded end of the main shaft, while the stationary handle is affixed on its other end.
The resistance of the exterior tubes"" relative turning, depends on the pressure carried by the two handles on the resistance sleeves through the intervening components, which are: the receiving rings, the protection washers, the safety rings, the ball bearings, the safety washers, the pressure tubes and the pressure washers.
The safety nut is firmly screwed onto the end of the main shaft and is inserted into the hole of the pressure-adjusting handle. On the surface around the safety nut-receiving orifice, there are gradations which, in combination with the indicator on the safety nut, give a visual indication of the relative turning resistance of the exterior tubes.
Onto the exterior tubes are fitted the shells, for a steady grip during exercising that utilizes the exterior tubes"" turning resistance, as well as for more effective massaging.
Onto the receiving rings is fitted the adjustable elastic band, which is comprised of the pulling elastic cord, the flexible protective hose and the hook together with the clamp.
The invention""s advantages which are based on its characteristics, are the following:
The independent portable exercising device, is easily carried, having length that does not exceed 40 cm and weight of less than 800 gr., can be easily and inexpensively manufactured and does not need any supporting base. This means that the user can be in different positions and stances, such as lying down, seated, standing, even while in motion, combining various techniques during its use.
When the independent portable exercising device is used as a turning resistance device, the exterior tubes with their shells are used as handles that turn separately and in directions opposite to one another alternatively, then the device can provide isometric exercises for upper body muscles, such as chest muscles, arm, wrist, hand, fingers etc, with adjustable turning resistance.
Adjustment of the turning resistance is obtained by griping the stationary handle and correspondingly turning the pressure adjusting handle, without risk of unintentional disassembly (due to the safety nut), and risk of losing its adjustment while in use, having at the same time visual indication of the relative resistance when turning.
The relative turning resistance of the exterior tubes is caused mainly by the friction between the interior surface of the resistance sleeves and the exterior surface of the tubular shaft, where the smoothness of these surfaces makes their relative turning, even.
If pressure is exerted along the direction of the shaft at the ends of the resistance sleeves, it is carried to all points of the relatively extended friction-surface due to elastic distortion, so that, in order to reach the desired resistance in turning, little pressure is required, meaning less wear and tear on the threads of the main shaft, on the pressure-adjusting handle and on the components that carry the pressure.
The shape of the exterior tubes allows for gripping them firmly, permitting application of greater turning resistance for more intense exercising.
It is generally recognized that muscular stimulation from different angles, with different exercises and techniques, contributes substantially to effective exercising. In the present invention, this is accomplished through the alternative positions of the hands on the exterior tubes, such as thumbs inwards, thumbs outwards, one thumb inwardsxe2x80x94one thumb outwards, hands in front, hands in back, hands extended, hands pulled and hands twisted, with capabilities of relative turning of the exterior tubes, up to 720 degrees.
During the relative turning of the exterior tubes, because of friction between the various surfaces, mainly the surface of the tubular shaft against the resistance sleeves, heat is produced and carried to the exterior tubes mostly in the area of the resistance sleeves (heat zone/warm area) and can be useful in low temperatures for warming up hands, feet etc.
When the device is used for massaging, the exterior tubes, having resistance in their relative turning, behave as a single tube which, through the ball bearings, rotates freely around the main shaft with minimal friction and wear.
When the device is held by the exterior handles, it can roll steadily and evenly on any area of the body, with absolute control of the pressure, as well as sweep over a large area of the body because of its length and in combination with the molded shape of the exterior tube shells, it provides a pleasant massage on all parts of the body, with the commonly known beneficial results.
The adjustable elastic band attaches with a noose onto one receiving ring more firmly, while it attaches onto the other with the hook, in such a way that it forms a closed loop, encircling the chosen body area (back, buttocks, thighs etc) with adjustable pressure.
During exercises for mainly the abdominal, posterior and thigh muscles, the device combines the exercising of the muscles, with intense massaging. Holding the device""s exterior handles and rolling it back and forth on the tense muscle group, serves a dual purpose: both muscle invigoration, as well as absorption/diffusion of accumulated fat.
The adjustable elastic band may be replace by one or more pulling elastic cords in various combinations (parallelxe2x80x94in series etc), of corresponding length so that when it is positioned under the feet and the device is held by the hands, it can be used for various exercises of corresponding difficulty, even replacing light and heavy weights without problems related with weight use.